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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


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CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CtHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  canadien  de  micror^productions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


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D 
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n 

D 
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D 

El 


D 


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10X 

14X 

18X 

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26X 

30X 

^^^^ 

y 

/ 

12X 

16X 

20X 

24X 

28X 

32X 

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L'exemplaire  film6  f ut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g4n6rosit6  de: 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 
publiques  du  Canada 

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filmage. 

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dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
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premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

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dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbols  —►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN  ". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diffdrents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
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de  I'angle  supdrieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n6cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

32X 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

^^''■m'mfsm^^W^ 


TRADE  AND  TEA 


SEPTEMBER,    i  8* 


/  r  ^0 


5  ^'^'^i 


A    STATEMENT 


RELATING  TO  THE 


INTERNAL    COMMERCE 


I « 


OF  THE  COUNTRY. 


To  THE  PEOPLE  of  the  State  of  New  Ywh,  but  for  the 
present,  more  particularly,  to  those  directly  related  to 
and  interested  in  the  internal  commerce  of  the  country, 
its  trade  and  traffic,  as  between  the  Western  States 
and  lakes  and  tide  water  at  New  York,  the  mart  of 
our  country.  For  some  time  past,  and  now,  this  subject 
has  been  and  is  being  discussed  all  the  way  through 
the  country,  from  the  city  of  New  York  to  said  Western 
States  inclusive. 

The  time  has  arrived  when  the  trade  and  traffic 
referred  to  m^^.st  have  greater  means  and  facilities  for  its 
interchange,  or  the  ouiivard-bound  products  of  the 
Western  States  will  find  other  channels  to  the  Atlantic 
coast  than  New  York  affords. 

The  subject  is  pressing  with  great  seriousness  upon 
the  country /or  relief. 

It  is  proposed  in  the  statement  following  briefly  to 
consider  the  present  condition  of  matters  in  relation  to 
this  subject  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  to  enquire 
whether  or  not  there  is  a  way  of  great  and  permanent 
relief  at  comparatively  small  consideration  or  cost. 

In  order  to  perspicuity  and  exactness  it  is  proposed 
to  make  tide  water  at  Troy,  and  the  easterly  end  of  Lake 
Erie  the  termini  for  examination  and  comparison;  as 


westerly  and  easterly  of  said  termini,  navigation  is 
free  and  uninterrupted,  and  no  questions  of  distance 
occur. 

Therefore,  1st.  What  does  it  cost,  in  the  present 
state  of  the  Erie  canal,  to  carry  a  ton  of  freight  from 
Buffalo  to  Troy  ? 

2nd.  What  time  does  it  take  to  carry  a  ton  of 
freight  from  Buffalo  to  Troy  ? 

3rd.  How  many  tons  of  freight  can  be  carried  from 
Buffalo  to  Troy  or  tide  water  during  the  boating 
season  or  per  annum,  via  the  Erie  Canal  ? 

As  the  tonnage  from  the  Western  States  and  lakes 
bound  to  tide  water,  greatly  preponderates  over  that 
which  is  westerly  or  inwardly  bound,  the  latter  will 
not  be  considered,  neither  that  of  way  freight,  as 
the  line  or  route  which  commands  the  greater  amount 
of  outward-bound  freight  will  command  the  greater 
amount  of  inwardly-bound  through  freight. 

It  is  proposed  to  consider  the  cost  of  transportation  at 
remunerating  prices  to  the  carrier^  though  it  is  believed 
that  freight  is  carried  through  at  times,  by  water  and 
by  rail,  at  unremunerating  rates. 

Therefore,  the  three  enquiries  stated  cover  the  ground, 
in  relation  to  the  present  means  and  facilities  afforded 
by  the  State  of  New  York  for  the  trade  and  traffic 
referred  to. 

It  is  understood  that  the  enlargement  of  the  Erie 
Canal  is  completed,  though  the  enlarged  canal  is  not 
in  good  and  proper  condition,  and  never  has  been. 

The  fact  that  the  Erie  Canal  at  Buffalo  cannot  be 
freighted  to  its  full  capacity  is  readily  understood,  as 
a  boat  leaving  Buffalo  for  tide  water,  possibly  at  the 
very  first  lock  easterly  encounters  a  way  boat  or  boats 
bound  easterly  which  causes  detention  to  the  boat 


.: 


^tivtmsifmfjr'^'' 


bound  to  tide  water,  which  detention  increases  continu- 
ally all  the  way  to  tide  water,  which  circumstance 
raises  the  question,  what  is  the  amount  of  through 
freight  or  tonnage  that  may  be  shipped  at  Bufialo,  to 
go  through  with  fair  and  desirable  dispatch,  in  relation 
to  the  capacity  of  the  canal,  or  to  the  amount  of 
tonnage  arriving  at  tide  water  ? 

There  are  no  means  at  hand  to  answer  this  question 
accurately,  therefore  we  must  be  satisfied  by  what 
actually  occurs,  to  wit :  There  is  a  certain  amount  of 
tonnage  arriving  at  tide  water  per  annum,  via  the  Erie 
Canal,  and  a  certain  amount  shipped  at  Buffalo  per 
annum  by  the  Erie  Canal.  These  amounts  must  deter- 
mine the  matter,  and  may  or  may  not  be  the  exact  truth 
or  answer. 

In  view  of  the  demands  of  this  trade  and  traffic 
there  cannot  be  much  doubt,  that  the  Erie  Canal  has 
been  freighted  and  worked  up  to  its  capacity. 

The  greatest  amount  of  tonnage  ever  delivered  at 
tide  water  by  the  canal,  in  one  season,  was  in  1862, 
when,  according  to  the  Auditor's  Report,  there  was 
delivered  2,917,094  tons,  which,  therefore,  we  shall  call 
the  full  capacity  of  the  canal. 

The  same  year,  also,  there  occurred  the  largest  ship- 
ment at  Buffalo,  via  the  Erie  Canal,  to  wit :  1,980,982 
tons.  There  is  no  reason  to  believe,  nor  is  it  probable 
that  all  said  tonnage  shipped  at  Buffalo  went  through 
to  tide  water,  but,  grant  that  it  did,  hence  we  safely 
arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  no  more  than  1,981,000 
tons  can  be  shipped  at  Buffalo  for  tide  water  via  the 
Erie  Canal,  in  its  present  state,  with  the  assurance, 
that  it  can  go  through  with  desirable  dispatch.  We 
will  now  answer,  hrieflyy  the  three  foregoing  en- 
quiries. 


6 


1st.  It  costs  $4.60  to  carry  one  ton  of  freight  from 
Buffalo  to  tide  water. 

2nd.  It  takes  ten  days  to  carry  it  through. 

3rd.  Only  1,981,000  tons  can  be  shipped  at  Buffalo 
for  and  carried  through  to  tide  water. 

The  tonnage  shipped  at  Buffalo  via  the  Erie  Canal, 
has  been  largely  diminished  each  year,  since  1862,  and 
probably  for  good  and  assignable  reasons,  to  wit :  In 
1862.  the  canal  was  crowded  to  its  full  capacity  and 
freight  moved  slowly,  consequently,  large  amounts 
were  sent  forward  by  rail  and  by  other  routes. 

The  state  of  things  that  occurred  in  1862  was 
surely  known  too  well  at  all  the  sources  of  produce  of 
that  year,  and  in  view  of  the  annual  increase  of  ton- 
nage bound  to  tide  water  it  became  necessary  for  the 
more  Western  parties  to  look  to  other  channels  for 
sending  forward  their  products. 

It  is  known,  that  now  and  for  some  five  or  six  years 
past,  large  amounts  of  freight  due,  by  the  geographical 
position  of  its  sources,  to  Lake  Erie  goes  via  the  Penn- 
sylvania Central,  the  Baltimore  and  Ohio  Rail  Roads 
and  down  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  rivers  to  New 
Orleans.  Though  we  do  not  know  the  amount  of  the 
tonnage  thus  diverted  from  the  New  York  route,  there 
is  no  hazard  in  saying  that  it  must  be  very  large,  and  in 
view  of  the  rapid  settlement  and  improvement  of  the 
country,  is  increasing  by  a  large  percentage,  annually. 
It  is  very  likely  to  be  more  than  equal  to  the  present 
capacity  of  the  Erie  Canal  at  Buffalo.  During  the  year 
1867,  the  New  York  Central  Railroad  took  573,613 
tons  of  freight  from  Buffalo. 

The  Erie  Railroad  is  freighted  principally  at  Dun- 
kirk, which  may  be  considered  due  to  the  easterly  end 
of  Lake  Erie.  Their  tonnage  of  through  freight  is  not 
given  in  their  report  to  the  State  Engineer,  but  we 


V 


*W  ^Ml^ 


i 


have  the  aggregate  tonnage  of  each  of  the  two  roads, 
and  the  through  tonnage  of  the  Central,  whereby,  by  a 
simple  proportion,  we  may  arrive  at  a  near  approxima- 
tion of  the  through  tonnage  of  the  Erie,  giving  some- 
what over  one  million  of  tons,  which,  together  with  the 
Central  gives  1,573,613  tons.  Thas  we  have  another 
amount  nearly  equal  to  the  Erie  Canal  capacity  at 
Buffalo,  which  shows  pretty  clearly  that  there  is  now 
due  to  the  Easterly  end  of  Lake  Erie  and  to  the  Erie 
Canal,  ahouttJiree  times  the  tonnage  that  can  be  carried 
by  the  Erie  Canal  from  Buffalo  to  tide  water. 

We  will  now  suppose  the  enlarged  Erie  Canal  to  be 
in  perfect  condition. 

The  number  of  lockages  cannot  be  increased  but  the 
boats  will  carry  more,  say  210  tons,  which  will  give 
about  700,000  tons  additional  to  go  from  Buffalo  to  tide 
water,  via  the  Erie  Canal,  but  allow  that  one  million 
additional  will  be  crowded  through,  making  all  that 
can  be  sent  from  Buffalo  to  tide  water  via  the  Erie  Canal 
to  be  2,981,000  tons. 

The  decreased  time  of  going  from  BujQfalo  to  tide 
water  through  the  canal  in  perfect  condition,  as  well  as 
the  decreased  cost  of  carrying  one  ton  of  freight  through 
the  perfect  canal,  must  be  determined  by  experience, 
when  the  canal  is  in  said  perfect  condition. 

NoWf  we  have  no  experience  by  which  to  deter- 
mine either,  and  prefer  not  to  introduce  what  may  be 
considered  a  theoretical  determination. 

In  the  existing  and  embarrassing  state  of  things  in 
relation  to  said  trade  and  traflBc,  together  with  the  fact 
that  so  much  of  the  Western  products  are  finding 
routes  to  other  ports  upon  the  Atlantic  coast  than  New 
York,  and  which,  as  the  people  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  we  would  prefer  to  have  the  same  go  to  the  city 


8 


of  New  York,  the  mart  of  our  country,  and  that  it  may 
BO  continue  to  be,  we  will  ^ow  suppose  the  contem- 
plated enlargements  and  improvements  via  the  Cham- 
plain  Canal  route  to  be  completed ;  the  Caughnawaga 
Canal  or  (the  canal  between  Lake  Champlain  and  the 
St.  Lawrence)  made;  the  locks  upon  the  St.  Lawrence, 
as  they  now  are  and  the  Welland  Canal  and  locks  also 
as  they  now  are  : 

"What  facilities  and  relief  would  thereby  be  afforded  ? 

Upon  the  conditions  stated,  it  is  evident  that  the 
capacity  of  the  Welland  Canal  must  determine  the 
amount  of  relief,  as  all  the  canals  and  locks  easterly  of 
the  Welland  are  or  are  to  be  made  much  larger  than 
those  of  the  Welland  d;t  present. 

As  to  the  capacity  of  the  Welland  Canal  we  may 
safely  assume,  in  view  of  its  length  and  position,  that 
nine-tenths  of  the  vessels  or  steamboats  that  enter  that 
canal  from  Lake  Erie  go  through  to  Lake  Ontario; 
therefore,  in  estimating  its  capacity,  we  need  not  pro- 
vide for  hindrances,  and,  as  the  canal,  locks  and  depth  of 
water  are  such  that  vessels  carrying  400  and  more  tons 
cargo  can  pass  through  with  facility,  we  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  the  capacity  of  the  Welland  Canal  now 
is  somewhat  over  ten  millions  tons  per  annum.  Vessels 
descending  the  St.  Lawrence  from  Lake  Ontario,  unless 
heavily  freighted,  do  not  pass  through  what  are  called 
the  St.  Lawrence  canals,  as  said  vessels  or  steamers  go 
down  the  rapids.  Therefore,  from  Port  Dalhousie,  of 
the  Welland  Canal,  to  the  northerly  end  of  the  Caugh- 
nawaga  Canal  (which  is  about  9  miles  above  Montreal) 
the  navigation  is  lake  and  river,  free  and  uninter- 
rupted. 

The  proposed  Caughnawaga  Canal  and  the  proposed 
enlargement  and  improvement  of  the  Champlain  Canal, 


" 


"  "'.'ifflHsw**  **■  ■"""""^ifupmw.p "  ■""       iinippi  — ^^mw^BM^^^^^wpi 


9 

with  the  slack  water  navigation  of  the  Hudson  River 
between  Fort  Edward  and  Troy,  are  both  to  be  upon  a 
much  larger  scale  than  the  present  Welland,  therefore 
the  foregoing  statement  of  the  capacity  of  the  Welland 
Canal  holds  good  for  the  whole  route  from  Lake  Erie 
to  Troy  or  tide  water  via  the  St.  I^awrence. 

We  then  come  to  the  conclusion,  and  in  the  ord^r  of 
the  foregoing  three  enquiries : 

1st.  That  it  will  cost  $2.65  to  carry  a  ton  of  freight 
from  Lake  Erie  to  tide  water  vi^  the  St.  Lawrence. 

2nd.  The  distance  from  Port  Colbourn,  (the 
Westerly  end  of  the  W  elland  Canal)  to  Troy  via  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  Champlain  route  is  590  miles,  of 
which  465  miles  is  free  and  uninterrupted,  lake  and 
river,  doion  stream  navigation,  and  125  is  canal.  We 
arrive  at  the  conclusion  that  it  will  take  4  days  and  13 
hours  to  carry  a  ton  of  freight  from  lake  Erie  to  Troy 
or  tide  water. 

3rd.  We  have  shown  that  ten  millions  of  tons  can  be 
carried  through  per  annum,  or  during  the  season  of 
navigation,  via  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  St.  Lawrence  line  is  open  from  12  to  18  days 
longer  than  the  Erie  Canal. 

We  find,  then,  that  we  can  carry  at  on  of  freight  from 
Lake  Erie  to  tide  water  via  the  St.  Lawrence  for  $1.95 
less  than  by  the  Erie  Canal  and  that  we  can  carry  it  at 
least  in  half  the  time  or  five  days  sooner  by  the  St. 
Lawrence  line,  and  we  can  carry  more  than  three  times 
the  tonnage  by  that  line  per  annum  than  by  the  Erie 
Canal,  which  will  amply  provide  for  the  transportation 
of  all  the  freight  now  due  at  the  easterly  end  of  Lake 
Erie. 

Though  we  have  shown  the  capacity  via  the  St. 
Lawrence  to  be  ten  millions  of  tons,  suppose  we  bring 


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upon  that  line  only  four  millions  of  tons  additional. 
The  tolls  upon  the  same,  at  about  40  cents  per  ton 
upon  the  Champlain  Canal,  improved,  will  pay  for  the 
proposed  improvements  and  constructions  of  the  Cham- 
plain  portion  in  less  than  four  years,  beside  keeping 
all  the  works  in  good  condition,  whereby  we  have  a 
clear  and  an  unquestionable  and  an  incontestable 
argument  and  a  sound  financial  basis  for  the  proposed 
Champlain  constructions. 

Further,  not  only  is  the  Caughnawaga  Canal  to 
be,  forthwith,  constructed  but  the  lengthening  and 
widening  of  the  Welland  Canal  locks  are  authorised 
by  recent  acts  of  the  Parliament  of  the  Northern  Domi- 
nion and  to  such  a  scale  or  dimension  as  will  ac- 
commodate vessels  and  steamers  carrying  from  800  to 
1000  tons  burthen,  which  may  sail  from  Lake  Erie  to 
New  York  without  change  or  discharge,  which  in  truth 
and  in  earnest  calls  for  works  of  like  dimensions  upon 
the  Champlain  line,  and  the  entire  achievement,  as 
above,  attained  at  a  cost  of  about  five  millions  of  dollars 
to  the  State  of  New  York,  all  of  which  will  be  re  curned  to 
the  Treasury  of  the  State,  in  tolls,  in  about  four  years. 

"  Oh !  but  we  are  to  have  a  ship  canal  from  Lake 
Ontario  (Oswego)  to  tide  water,"  so  it  is  said. 

Such  a  work  will  be  about  205  miles  long,  which 
possibly  may  be  had  for  from  twenty  to  twenty-five 
millions  of  dollars.  Now,  in  the  name  of  good  sound 
sense  and  judgment,  why  spend  that  when  you  can  get 
a  better  line,  one  of  greater  capaciti/,  of  quicker  transit, 
for  one-fourth  the  sum. 

Upon  the  subject  of  the  furtJier  enlargement  of  the 
Erie  Canal  or  a  ship  canal  from  Lake  Ontario  to  tide 
water  we  can  only  hypothecate  upon  a  hope  or  proba- 
bility and,  altogether,  one  of  great  uncertainty. 


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11 

A  greater  amount  of  intelligence  and  more  enlarged 
and  enlightened  views  have  to  prevail  in  our  Le- 
gislature before  so  expensive  an  undertaking  will  be 
met  and  encountered,  however  cogent  and  powerful 
the  argument  and  reason  for  the  same  may  be  in  truth. 

But  said  cogent  and  powerful  arguments  and  reasons 
for  the  gigantic  improvements  and  expenditures  to 
which  they  relate  may  be' most  readily  annulled  by 
showing  that  a  greater  achievement  may  be  secured  to 
said  trade  and  traffic  in  the  one  for  which  we  are 
advocating,  and  comparatively  for  a  mere  bagatelle  in 
the  way  of  expenditure. 

It  is  a  truth,  beyond  all  controversy,  that  the  people 
of  the  Northern  Dominion  (Canada)  have  by  the  for- 
mation of  the  country  greater  natural  facilities  for 
presenting,  even  for  the  City  of  New  York,  the  heat 
line  for  the  carrying  trade  of  the  Western  and  North 
Western  States,  and  we  of  the  State  of  New  York  have 
to  act  only  a  little  in  concert  with  them  to  derive  the  full 
advantage  of  said  natural  advantages  and  that,  at  a 
very  small  cost,  when  considering  the  great  favorable 
and  inevitable  results. 

The  requisition,  as  per  the  foregoing,  in  all  its  as- 
pects and  ramifications  appears  so  obviously  right  as  a 
state  and  financial  policy  that  it  would  seem  hardly 
necessary  to  enter  upon  any  elaborate  discussion  to  es- 
tablish it  as  such.  In  truth,  intelligently  considered, 
it  becomes  apparent,  as  a  foregone  conclusion. 

The  enlargement  anrl  improvement  of  the  public 
works  of  the  St.  Lawrence  route,  as  referred  to,  are 
determined  upon  by  the  recent  acts  and  resolutions  of 
the  Parliament  of  Canada,  and  that,  too,  without  re- 
ference to  the  future  action  of  the  State  of  New  York, 
which,  no  doubt,  is  a  wise  and  sagacious  polioy. 


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12 


They  even  now  cause  a  large  diversion  of  trade 
from  New  York,  and  with  their  further  improved 
facilities  will  divert  a  still  greater  amount,  which 
will  go  via  Montreal  and  Quebec  to  foreign  ports,  leav- 
ing the  City  of  New  York  unnecessarily  but  sadly  in 
the  lurch. 

Further,  the  Caughnawaga  Canal  being  made  and  the 
Champlain  Canal  proposed  improvements  not  being 
made,  Western  States  products  will  come  via  the  St. 
Lawrence  into  Lake  Champlain  to  Burlington,  thence 
by  rail  to  Boston. 

The  following  remarks  show  how  the  existing 
state  of  our  internal  commerce  is  viewed  by  an  intel- 
ligent foreigner. 

Sir  Morton  Peto,  intelligent  upon  matters  we  have 
been  considering,  and  who  has  travelled  extensively 
over  our  Western  country,  raises  the  enquiry : 

"  To  what  extent,  is  the  amount  of  tonnage  employed 
"  in  inland  intercourse  adequate  to  the  wants  of  the* 
^*  country  ?  In  view  of  the  distances  over  which  the 
"  trade  has  to  be  extended  the  inland  navigation 
"  of  the  country  is  very  inadequate  to  the  wants  of  the 
"  country.  It  has  not  kept  pace  with  the  population 
"  and  progress  of  the  country. 

"  The  grain  producers  of  the  Western  States  are 
"  quite  unable  to  find  sufficient  means  of  conveyance 
"  for  their  products." 

We  might  enlarge  indefinitely,  with  sound  argu- 
ments and  reasons  for  the  increase  of  means  and  facili  • 
ties  for  our  Western  Traffic,  but  we  forbear,  for  the 
reason,  "  he  that  runs  can  read  them." 

Not  unfrequently,  the  fear  has  been  expressed  that 
ship  canals  connecting  tide  water  at  Troy  with  the  St. 
Lawrence  via  lake  Champlain  would  seriously  damage 


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18 


the  canal  interests  of  the  State  of  New  York  in  divert- 
ing a  large  portion  of  trade  and  traffic  from  the  Erie 
Canal. 

The  foregoing  puts  a  decided  negation  upon  such 
fears,  and  in  view  of  the  rapid  advance  and  increase  of 
population  in  the  Western  States,  and  consequently  a 
corresponding  increase  in  the  products  of  those  States, 
no  apprehensions  or  fears  of  the  kind  need  be  enter- 
tained. The  only  fear  is,  and  it  is  a  well  founded  one, 
that  we  shall  not  keep  up  our  means  and  facilities  for 
transportation,  cheap  and  prompt,  with  the  increase  of 
the  products  of  those  States. 

It  may  be  safely  affirmed  that  there  cannot  occur  or 
exist  a  competitioriy  among  all  the  water  lines  avail- 
able or  practicable,  for  the  simple  reason,  that  there 
will  ever  be  freight  enough  for  them  all,  even  in  excess 
of  their  utmost  capacity. 

In  this  advanced  state  of  the  19th  century  let  us 
have  an  exemplification  of  enlarged  and  liberal  views 
of  State  policy,  leaving  questions  of  mere  party  politics, 
which,  as  pursued,  are  great  impediments  to  advance- 
ment in  any  right  direction,  either  of  prosperity, 
morals  or  civilization. 

It  seems  remarkable,  that  there  are  men,  at  times, 
found  in  the  halls  of  our  national  and  state  Legislatures 
who  are  incapable  of  duly  contemplating  and  appre- 
hending great  national  interests.  Even  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son, in  the  initiatory  processes  of  the  Erie  Canal,  pro- 
nounced the  State  of  New  York  as  bereft  of  reason  and 
as  being  100  years  ahead  of  time. 

Witness,  Dewitt  Clinton  standing  alone  in  the  New 
York  Legislature,  advocating  his  favorite  measure,  the 
Erie  Canal,  at  the  same  time  receiving  all  manner  of 
obloquy  and  abuse  even  by  men  of  the  calibre  of 


pp 


14 

Erastus  Root,  who  called  the  great  work  by  which 
the  State  and  City  of  New  York  has  become  respec- 
tively, empire  and  emporium,  as  "  Olintmi'a  Ditch" 

JOHN  B.  MILLS. 

Civil-Engineer. 
Peekskill,  N.  Y.,  September,  1870. 


APPENDIX. 


My  dear  Sir, 

I  have  carefully  read  your  paper,  addressed  to  the 
people  of  New  York,  on  the  internal  water  communi- 
cations of  that  State,  and  in  all  the  main  features  of  the 
project  treated  of,  I  entirely  concur  as  I  also  do  in 
your  estimate  of  results.  The  tonnage  capacity  of  the 
St.  Lawrence  and  Lake  Champlain  route  is  not  over- 
stated, or  the  cost  of  transportation  estimated  at  tf  3 
low  a  figure.  The  subject  is"  one  to  which  I  have 
given  much  thought,  and  though  on  some  of  the  details 
of  the  scheme  our  views  may  not  be  exactly  coincident, 
I  am  satisfied  that  the  only  solution  of  the  problem  of 
how  the  water  communications  between  Lake  Erie  and 
the  Atlantic  can  be  made  to  keep  pace  in  capacity 
with  the  growing  trade  of  the  West  and  of  New  York 
is  to  be  found  in  the  way  so  clearly  pointed  out  in 
your  paper. 

I  am,  dear  Sir, 

Yours  very  truly, 

W.  SHANLY, 

C.  E.  and  Contractor  for  the  Hoosac  Tunnel. 

J.  B.  Mills,  Esq., 

Civil  Engineer. 


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